2024 Kia Sorento

The 2024 Kia Sorento and 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, which are ostensibly the same vehicle underneath their skins, have radically different approaches to the mid-size SUV class. This is a good thing, as now there are two decidedly different flavors of SUV to be had from comparable automakers: The Santa Fe has gone for the blocky, Jeep/Land-Rover-style of two-box SUV, while the Sorento has kept more to an urban crossover-wagon look. The Sorento’s restyle also keeps it much more in line with the rest of the Kia showroom, while over at Hyundai, the mandate seems to be to make all the models look like they could come from different brands.

Both of these approaches are novel and laudable, but the Sorento might work a little better in keeping prior buyers interested in this latest model, whereas the Santa Fe looks like it’s going after someone entirely new. I got to take an up-close look at the 2024 Sorento at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Swoops and Strakes
If you think the new Sorento looks like a baby Kia Telluride, well, that’s because it does. There’s a lot of family resemblance in the front and rear styling, and that’s not a bad thing; Kia’s latest design language is distinctive without being weird, and we appreciate that. The front three-quarter view is the most successful, with the big, bold grille flanked by light-blade-style headlights that are almost evocative of Cadillac design language.

The only blemish in the Sorento’s style is that bizarre little chrome shark fin on the C-pillar, a kind of odd little malignant growth rising from the beltline chrome trim that looks completely affected and out of place. There’s no reason for it, and it breaks up the flow of the beltline in most unpleasant ways. At least on the X-Pro off-road-oriented trim, it’s black and blends in with the greenhouse pillar trim. But yeesh — not sure how that made it through the design reviews.

Lovely as Ever Inside
Inside the 2024 Sorento, Kia continues its efforts to absolutely embarrass its competitors with an interior featuring materials and assembly quality that could easily be included among near-luxury brands. It looks fantastic inside, especially in top trim levels, with the model on the L.A. show floor sporting a blue upholstered interior that looked and felt extraordinary.

It doesn’t fall off when you move to the back seat, either. The doors, seats and controls are all just as nice and high-quality as the front-seat accommodations. This is not something commonly found in competitor vehicles, but it’s something Kia is increasingly ensuring as it continues its efforts to boost brand recognition and value. Keep doing interiors like this, and customers will be increasingly swayed by these efforts.

Off-Roadish if You Simply Must
New to the lineup is an off-road-oriented X-Pro trim level, but make no mistake, these really aren’t off-road vehicles as most off-road enthusiasts would rate them. The X-Line returns with all-wheel drive, a locking center differential, torque vectoring and some slightly beefier styling; opt for the X-Pro and you get chunkier off-road tires on smaller wheels.

But these are far more just styling packages than actual off-road prep packages. They might get you to a dirt road campsite, but taking them on any kind of two-track trail would make me nervous. Still, you can’t have an SUV these days without including some kind of butch off-road package, so here are the Sorento’s. I’d personally stick to the more on-road comfort and luxury trims for Sorento, leaving the off-roading for something more suitable.